


One Fish, Two Fish

by Carmenlire



Series: Flufftober [8]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Moving In Together, Pets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-09
Updated: 2018-10-09
Packaged: 2019-07-28 10:41:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16239968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carmenlire/pseuds/Carmenlire
Summary: Leaning against the door jamb with his arms crossed over his chest, Magnus just stares at the scene in front of him. Alec was officially moving into the loft this weekend. Magnus had expected a few boxes of clothes and several more of books with a few knickknacks and mementos spread throughout.He had not expectedthis. This being that Alec hadpets. There were half a dozen fish in an aquarium that needed sizable surface area.He’d always pegged Alec as more of a dog person, if he was being honest with himself.





	One Fish, Two Fish

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Pets

“Well,” Magnus starts, eyeing the bowl. “I learn something new about you every day.”

Alec barely looks up from where he’s carefully sprinkling fish food over the fish tank. “What did you learn today,” he asks absently.

Leaning against the door jamb with his arms crossed over his chest, Magnus just stares at the scene in front of him. Alec was officially moving into the loft this weekend. Which wasn’t to say that most of his things weren’t already here-- it was just that the official invitation had been extended and heartily accepted. 

Magnus had expected a few boxes of clothes and several more of books with a few knickknacks and mementos spread throughout.

He had not expected _this_.

This being that Alec had _pets_. There were half a dozen fish in an aquarium that needed sizable surface area-- it had colorful pebbles and a little fish house that resembled a shipwreck and was overall much more involved than Magnus had ever pictured in relation to his boyfriend. 

He’d always pegged Alec as more of a dog person, if he was being honest with himself.

He has no idea what type of fish they are. Magnus is woefully ignorant about fish unless he’s ordering them at a hibachi restaurant. Raising a brow as Alec leans down and starts talking to the fish, he overhears his conversation.

“Hey Guppy Gus, are we being nice to Melinda today?”

“Melinda,” Magnus repeats, sheer disbelief in his tone. He doesn’t even acknowledge Guppy Gus.

Alec looks up with a deadpan expression. “Gus has a habit of bumping into Melinda. I still can’t figure out if it’s love or hate.”

“Darling,” Magnus cuts in, clearing his throat. “How have you kept your aquarium under wraps all this time?”

With a sigh, Alec stands and makes his way over to Magnus. Straightening, Magnus slides an arm around Alec’s waist as they walk toward the French doors. They open with a gentle push of magic and they settle down on the outside couch, enjoying the warmth of late spring.

“I guess that I just didn’t think to mention it,” Alec says, relaxing against Magnus.

Magnus looks up and sees the lack of tension in him. He can’t stop his heart from quietly gushing that Alec is comfortable in his space-- their home.

“How long have you had them again?”

Humming, Alec squints into the distance. “Izzy dragged me to a mundane carnival when we were little-- twelve I think? I won a little goldfish playing a ring toss game. I didn’t really know what to do with it but I found a bowl from the Institute’s kitchen and just kinda dumped it in there for a day or two.”

He shrugs, continuing, “I ended up going to the library and spending an afternoon looking through the books they had on fish care. From there, it just kind of grew? When I turned sixteen I bought the aquarium on the sly and the rest is history.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? I feel like this is something that I should’ve known about you,” Magnus says, just a hint worried.

Alec looks confused as he frowns. “It just never came up. They’re pretty low maintenance and I keep them in my room, which you never visit.”

It’s silent for a minute as Magnus thinks. Alec lets out a deep sigh, slouching until he can tuck his head under Magnus’s chin. With a huff of laughter, Magnus wraps his arms around his boyfriend and leans back in the corner.

“I thought you were more of a dog person.”

Alec hums as he rubs his nose along Magnus shirt. “Of course I’m more of a dog person. I’ve wanted a puppy since I was old enough to talk. You can’t have them in Institutes, though-- especially with my mother and even more especially with our schedules.”

“So your compromise were fish? Guppies,” Magnus asks in fond amusement, slowly running his fingers through Alec’s hair.

“They were-- are-- like little friends. I used to talk to them, you know.”

“Oh,” Magnus prompts.

“I came out to my fish for the first time,” Alec admits quietly.

Magnus’s hands still for a split second before he resumes his soothing actions.

“I was thirteen and terrified of being overheard. I remember leaning down until my nose was pressed to the glass and whispering that I didn’t like girls-- I liked boys.” 

He breathes out a laugh. “They were very supportive. I don’t know if you know this or not, but I didn’t have a lot of close friends--” he ignores Magnus’s quiet snort, continuing, “But I could come back to my room after getting my ass kicked in training or fucking up on patrol or after my mother was particularly cruel and I could vent to them. It became kind of a thing. If anyone would’ve overheard me, they probably would have thought me insane but I talked to my fish, like, every day.”

Alec looks down at him for a minute and Magnus gives him time to think. “I told them about you, you know.”

Delighted, Magnus straightens a little, bending down to kiss the shell of Alec’s ear. “What did you tell them, darling?”

“What didn’t I tell them,” he laughs. “I told them about meeting you for the first time and when I thought I had fucked up and spent the night at your place. I told them about how. . . _drawn_ to you I was even though I knew it could never work out.” His voice is quiet as he adds, “I talked to them a lot before our kiss.”

Magnus kisses the top of Alec’s head once, twice, three times trying in vain to soothe a man he hadn’t been allowed to at the time. “Well, then, I’m glad you had such wonderful confidantes.”

“I know it’s silly but I’m pretty attached to them,” Alec says. “If they bother you, I can keep them in my office at the Institute--”

Magnus hushes him with a gentle finger over his mouth, biting his lip to hold back a laugh at Alec’s instinctive smile at the gesture. “I didn’t say I didn’t like them or didn't want them. It’s just something new that I hadn’t known and I was curious. We can keep the fish as long as you want, Alexander.”

Alec leans up and kisses him. “Thanks, babe,” he says, settling back down against Magnus’s chest.

“There’s nothing to thank me for, I assure you.”

The conversations fades as the both look over the balcony at the sunset. 

As he feels Alec grow limp and hears the snores quietly fall from his mouth, Magnus begins to plot. Their anniversary was a few months away and he needs to research local animal shelters. 

Surely, there was a puppy out there that wouldn’t mind living with a shadowhunter and warlock.

**Author's Note:**

> Catch me on tumblr @carmenlire!


End file.
